In addition to the continuing need for citizens who can address the challenges of "human" communities, growing concerns have arisen regarding "all" life on the planet. Indeed, one of our most urgent conditions is the decline of the environment upon which all life depends. Yet, despite our concerns, there remain vastly differing…

Today's political environment continues to become more polarized as Americans find themselves taking sides on controversial issues. While this is certainly not new to the American democratic experience, the way we as a country are combating it is. With the nation engulfed in a political maelstrom, people are forgetting how to have a civilized…

This article reports on a study that asks how might an elections simulation influence students with strong polarizing political beliefs? The elections simulation asks students to take on roles as candidate teams, political party leaders, interest groups, and media outlets in a mock presidential election. Students not only learn about elections but…

The purpose of this article is to synthesize research on the benefits and use of games, role-plays, and simulations, whilst providing examples practicing teachers may wish to use in their classroom. Therefore, the article presents a discussion of key previous research on the use of games, role-plays, and simulations in secondary history…

In many parts of the less developed world it is women and girls who are expected to provide water for their family. Frequently, young girls are unable to complete school or get jobs because water scarcity means they are forced to walk miles daily to obtain this most basic need. Since the creation of the United Nations Millennium Goals, progress…

The purpose of this article is to empower those interested in teaching students powerful and engaging social studies. Through the lens of Supreme Court simulations, this article provides educators with a viable, classroom-tested lesson plan to bring Problem-Based Learning into their classrooms. The specific aim of the lesson is to provide students…

The inclusion of technology in the classroom is an increasingly important feature of effective instruction. The implementation of Common Core Standards in many states also requires teachers to consider new pedagogical strategies to support meaningful learning. This article explores the intersection between technology demands and curricular change…

This article considers human rights education at the elementary school level in the United States. It explores some of the benefits of including human rights education in the elementary curriculum and provides suggestions on how to incorporate it. The article focuses on a discussion of the book "A Life Like Mine: How Children Live around the…

Presents a simulation which can be used in any secondary social studies course to teach about the Equal Rights Amendment. It can be played with as few as ten and as many as 40 students. Playing time varies from three to seven class periods. (RM)

Discusses the value of structured simulation games in elementary social studies. Suggestions are given for using simulation games in the classroom, stressing the importance of the briefing and debriefing activities. Teaching instructions for four role-playing simulations are included. (AM)

Sixth-grade students relive the history of the fall of Rome in a simulation game. An example of student comparisons of Roman and Barbarian strategic advantages indicates how the game increased their understanding of the causes of the fall of the Roman Empire. (AM)

In this teacher developed simulation, secondary students, in the roles of justices and attorneys, bring to trial a selection of cases adjudicated by the U.S. Supreme Court. (RM)

By building the simulation exercise around something like the Vietnam war or the situation in Eastern Europe or the Middle East conflict, the undergraduate social science student will become familiar with important current international issues during the semester at the same time he is preparing for simulation at the end of the semester.…

In this classroom activity secondary students determine conditions present at the onset of the Civil War to understand some of the basic reasons why the Union and Confederacy employed certain strategies designed to win the war. Students are assigned the role of a general and they work in groups to analyze graphs and maps and develop military…

Presents three simulations in which participants must make decisions based on a limited number of choices among a defined set of alternatives. Students (1) decide which English convicts will be transported to the colonies; (2) place individuals in one of two retirement homes; and (3) choose which children will help their mother draw up her will.…